Act now to tackle this emergency
We are told by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) that we have a climate emergency, and that it is their plan to have the West of England carbon neutral by 2036.
Most thinking people know that there is a national emergency, right now. The last time this happened, in 1939, within a matter of months, the country had built airfields up and down the country, and we were ready to defend ourselves, and tackle the crisis.
If our politicians, at that time, had the attitude of our present politicians, it would have been 1955 before we were ready, and we would have been overrun by the Nazis. It is time our elected representatives started doing the job they have been elected to do. Start shouting at central government that we need the resources to start tackling the climate emergency NOW.
There are no excuses. Many people know exactly what needs to be done. Why are councillors and officials ignoring evidence when it is presented to them?
At the National Tram Conference, opened by our MP last week, which was full to capacity, only three Lib Dem councillors attended, one of whom was Neil Butters, Joint Cabinet Member for Transport Services. Many thanks to them. Labour, Conservative, representatives from WECA, including Tim Bowles, the WECA Mayor, and BANES officials from relevant departments, who were all invited, could not be bothered to attend.
By way of this letter, they must all be asked for a response to these questions.
1. Do you agree that climate change and air pollution are threats to our children and grandchildren?
2. Do you agree this is mainly caused by burning fossil fuel?
3. Do you accept this means using non polluting means of propulsion, ie electricity and sustainably produced non fossil fuels?
4. Do you agree that electric private vehicles on their own will not solve congestion problems,
and that batteries have a huge environmental cost?
5. Do you accept that trams will have to form a vital part of a future transport system, integrated with rail and feeder buses, with safe cycling and walking routes for BANES and surrounding areas?
6. If you disagree that trams should form part of the solution, how would you reduce congestion, carbon emissions and air pollution, which includes the most lethal non tailpipe emissions?
Councillors, council officials, MPS, politicians of all parties, we need action now. Not more talk, and consultants’ reports. 2036 is far too long to wait. We need action, now.
If you cannot give us credible answers to these questions, you should not be in your jobs.
At the very least you should be honest with us and state that you do not believe that there is a climate emergency hitting us now. David Lucas Bath